CNN-IBN, IBN7 to pay Rs 1 lakh for â€˜biasedâ€™ report

NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh and asked two TV channels â€” CNN-IBN and IBN7 â€” to apologize for airing "biased, tendentious and factually incorrect" reports on the Haryana government flouting laws to allot land to the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT).

"The reportage is an example of sensationalization with the purpose of promoting and improving the image of the channels, which is unethical journalism," the order said. The NBSA has asked both channels that carried the story on August 1 and August 5, 2011, to telecast an apology.

In a "censure" for willful violation of the NBSA code of ethics and broadcasting standards, the broadcaster has also been asked to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh within a week. NBSA is a redressal authority set up by news broadcasters as a form of industry regulator.

The story aired by the Hindi and English channels, belonging to the TV18 Network, had alleged that the trust had acquired 850 acres of land in Haryana and had sought exemptions regarding this. It has also alleged that there were 65 petitions filed by farmers in the Punjab & Haryana high court against the trust.

NBSA chairman Justice J S Verma (retired) said in his order that the trust had leased 5 acres and 3 marlas of land from the gram panchayat for 33 years to establish a charitable eye hospital. The order also said that no exemption had been sought by the trust and there was only one petition, not 65, against the trust and it was not about any illegal acquisition of land.

The NBSA also found that not enough effort had been made by the channels to include the trust's version of the story. "The broadcaster committed egregious violation of the NBA Code of Ethics & Broadcasting Standards, especially guidelines relating to accuracy, impartiality, neutrality, requirement of due diligence and verification of facts prior to telecast, as also the need to carry the version of the person affected," the order said.

It found the reportage smacking of "clear bias and lack of objectivity". In this context, the NBSA observed that a broadcast has to be judged on the basis of the overall impression, perception and impact that the viewer gets on plain viewing of the broadcast.

Rajdeep Sardesai's channel reporting against the Congress? How was this even possible? Seems like someone went overboard behind Rajdeep's back when he was busy :ka: the Congress head-honchos.
Either that, or this is Congress way of asking for kickbacks for IBN getting lots of TRPs 'exposing' Haryana Congress.

My opinion is that there should be none but instead of monitoring there should be less regulations to open up a news channel or a radio station etc so that different parties can give their sides of the opinion free.
In India,there is still a ban on radio spectrum for news broadcasting.All news broadcasting is done by government owned radio stations.

We are also in a dire need of India's Fox,a right leaning news channel which can challenge the predominant liberal media with its pathetic attempts to justify seemingly unjustifiable acts like jihad.
Although they very rarely cover the war in Iraq or Afghanistan or Israel but when they do then they take the Islamist side.But most of the Indian population is with the decision of US & Israel as there was a survey done before the invasion of Afghanistan and the most people who justified it came from India,US & Israel.

My opinion is that there should be none but instead of monitoring there should be less regulations to open up a news channel or a radio station etc so that different parties can give their sides of the opinion free.
In India,there is still a ban on radio spectrum for news broadcasting.All news broadcasting is done by government owned radio stations.

We are also in a dire need of India's Fox,a right leaning news channel which can challenge the predominant liberal media with its pathetic attempts to justify seemingly unjustifiable acts like jihad.

Click to expand...

Golden words

Although they very rarely cover the war in Iraq or Afghanistan or Israel but when they do then they take the Islamist side.But most of the Indian population is with the decision of US & Israel as there was a survey done before the invasion of Afghanistan and the most people who justified it came from India,US & Israel.

Click to expand...

may be due to two reasons

1. Vernacular media is not as biased as the English ones.

2. Internet becoming a new source of info and news, free from lefty non-sense...

My opinion is that there should be none but instead of monitoring there should be less regulations to open up a news channel or a radio station etc so that different parties can give their sides of the opinion free.
In India,there is still a ban on radio spectrum for news broadcasting.All news broadcasting is done by government owned radio stations.

We are also in a dire need of India's Fox,a right leaning news channel which can challenge the predominant liberal media with its pathetic attempts to justify seemingly unjustifiable acts like jihad.
Although they very rarely cover the war in Iraq or Afghanistan or Israel but when they do then they take the Islamist side.But most of the Indian population is with the decision of US & Israel as there was a survey done before the invasion of Afghanistan and the most people who justified it came from India,US & Israel.